Welding Head Planar Spring Alignment for Container Lids
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing welding heads struggle to reliably weld lids onto containers with varying dimensions and shapes, particularly at high production rates, due to misalignment issues caused by the flexible nature of the packaging material and limited stiffness of the container necks and lids.
Innovation Solution
A welding head with a compensating device featuring a planar spring arrangement that adjusts the position of the welding element to ensure proper alignment with lids of different sizes and shapes, combined with an electric induction generating element for heat-sealing, allowing for effective welding even at high production rates.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a fixed welding head design is used, then the device complexity is low, but the manufacturing precision deteriorates due to misalignment with lids of varying dimensions and shapes
Solution Approach 1:
The welding head incorporates a planar spring arrangement that enables dynamic adjustment of the welding element position. The spring mechanism allows the welding element to adapt its position automatically based on the specific dimensions and shape of each lid, transforming a static fixed design into a dynamic adaptive system that maintains welding precision across varying container specifications.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes elastic deformation of the planar spring elements to change the positional parameter of the welding element. By controlling the deformation of the spring arrangement, the system adjusts the welding element's position and orientation to match the specific geometric parameters of different lids, thereby maintaining manufacturing precision without requiring multiple fixed welding head designs.
2Productivity
If welding is performed at high production rates, then the productivity increases, but the manufacturing precision deteriorates due to reduced time for alignment and welding
Solution Approach 1:
The planar spring arrangement is pre-configured to automatically adjust the welding element position before the welding operation begins. This preliminary adjustment action occurs as the container moves into position, eliminating the need for time-consuming manual or mechanical alignment during the welding process itself, thereby maintaining precision at high production rates.
Solution Approach 2:
The welding head's planar spring mechanism performs self-adjustment based on the physical interaction with the lid and container geometry. The spring elements automatically deform to the appropriate position without requiring external control systems or additional alignment steps, enabling the system to maintain precision while operating at high speeds through self-regulating behavior.
3Ease of manufacture
If the packaging material is made flexible for sealing, then the ease of manufacture improves, but the stability of the object's composition deteriorates, causing misalignment during welding
Solution Approach 1:
The planar spring arrangement acts as an intermediary mechanism between the flexible container and the rigid welding element. The spring's elastic properties allow it to accommodate the flexibility of the packaging material while providing a stable, controlled positioning interface for the welding element, effectively decoupling the flexibility benefit from the misalignment problem.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Ensures consistent and high-quality welding of lids onto containers with varying dimensions and shapes, minimizing the time required for welding and maintaining performance across different tolerances, thereby improving production efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
The welding element (51) comprises an electric induction generating element for generating an electric current capable of heat-sealing the lid (1) to the opening device (11, 14, 17)
Implementation Method 2
generating an electric current capable of heat-sealing the lid (1) to the opening device (11, 14, 17)
Data Source
Figure 1~3
Figure 4
Figure 5~6
AI summary
A welding head comprises a welding element (51) for welding a lid (1) to an opening device of a container (10), a supporting body (53) for supporting the welding element (51) and a compensating device (60) for compensating a possible mutual mispositioning of the welding element (51) and the lid (1) during welding of the lid (1) to the opening device, the compensating device (60) being interposed between the supporting body (53) and the welding element (51), the compensating device comprising a planar spring arrangement (100) provided with at least one planar spring element (62) having a first member (63) and a second member (64) mutually connected by means of deformable elements (65).